J.S. Held names Lee Spirer as next chief executive officer

18 March 2025 Consulting.us

J.S. Held, a Jericho, NY-based technical and forensic advisory firm, has announced Lee Spirer will succeed Jonathon Held as president and chief executive officer.

The planned CEO transition will take effect at the start of the second quarter, the firm said. Held, who has served as CEO since 1985, will stay at the firm as executive chairman.

During his tenure, Held oversaw the firm’s growth from a regional firm to a global consulting company with 1,500+ professionals operating on six continents. J.S. Held was founded in 1974.

"As we enter our sixth decade of service to our clients, I am excited about this new period of growth for J.S. Held and I look forward to partnering with Lee to advance our mission and vision for the company in support of all J.S. Held stakeholders – our team members, clients, and investors," Held said.

Spirer joined the consultancy last year as president and chief operating officer. He has over 30 years of consulting experience, with expertise across growth strategy, M&A, turnaround, digital transformation, and private equity.

Spirer was previously COO and chief growth and transformation officer at Navigant (now Guidehouse), president of risk and compliance solutions at Kroll, and EVP for strategy and business development at Dun & Bradstreet.

Earlier in his career, he was GM for global financial markets at IBM Consulting and a principal at Booz & Company (now PwC’s Strategy&).

Spirer has an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brandeis University.

“Lee Spirer's extensive experience and proven ability to drive strategy focused on financial results and operational excellence positions Lee as the ideal chief executive to lead our team through our next phase of growth," Held added.

“Jon has led this company to an enviable position in its core markets,” Spirer said. “I consider myself fortunate and seek to build on this platform, evolving J.S. Held for the future, leading a talented team."